Adjustable chair.



0. H. & A. F. PIEPER.

' ADJUSTABLE CHAIR. APPLICATION H LED APR.21, 191s.

Patented Ap127, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lo. H. n A. F. PIEPER.

ADIUSTABLE CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED APRZI, ISIS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Our invention has for its object toprovide au edjustablecheir of the general type in which the seet may be elevated and lowered en the base, such as, for instance, are

employed 'by dentists and berbere,l the purpose being to eord e. construction with which the desired adjustments muy be readily obtained, Without requiring substantially any vvork on the part of 'the operator.

i A further object oi our improvements consists in al'ording e structure which pernuits the use ol compressed oir or other duid pressure for rinsing the chair seat above the bese, the application of pressure being controlled in e siinplernenner,

lid

other position, und

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'carrying out 1 eheir bese' or pedestal, to'Wiiicli is attached Another feature olf the invention consists in the Ineens which We employ for lowering the chair seat, und returding the seine et the limit of its dovvn'vverd movement so as 'lo obviete a sudden shock or fieru llo these und other ends the invention con,- sists in certain improvements end combinations of parts, all as will hereinafter be more 'fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the eleiins et the end of the specii'ication.

ln the drawings: lligure l is' e vertical sectional view of e portion of a chair, shoW- 'ing the application of e preferredV embodinient of the invention; Fig. 2 is en enlarged sectional vievv, With parts broken away, showing the controlling valve moved; Fig. 3 is d similar View, with the parts in anllig. 4 is e transverse section on the line iL-da oli Fig, 1.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several figures indicate the saine parte.

lin the embodiment-disclosed, which is intended /to be illustrative oi' one manner of the invention, l designates e the support 2, 'end Within the letter iserranged @suitable casting embodying le cyli lnder'gand e liquid cluelnber d. f

specilicetion of Letters retest..

drawings, forming s part of this speci-' llbutented equi,1 Wl, 1915.,

r @puente tueinpniei, me. semina. restos.

dis u seat support'upon which is mounted to show in the present drawing', the seat support 'being conveniently secured to the piston rod 6 which carries e piston 7, the

ythe seat of the chair, "which it is unnecessary letter being arranged for movement Within v closed by a, spring actuated valve 9 co erating with a, valve seat 10 formed in t e re movable casing l1. The valve 9 is arranged on e. valve stem 12 which projects vertiballyf through the casting end beyond the stufng box 13 for a purpose that will appear hereinafter, and llll is e spring arranged between the collar 15 and the shoulder 16 in order to hold the valve normally closed as shown. 'lhe chamber 4 is adapted to receive a heavy liquid, such 'es oil, which, When suilicient pressure is applied to vthe surface thereof, opens the valve 9 and is forced against the lower surlacerof the piston 7, .so as to elevate the piston rod and seat support. The duid in the chamber 4c is forced into the cylinder under sulicient pressure to elevate thepiston, and to this end 'there is provided a fluid pressure supply pipe 16 to which duid is supplied under pressure from any suiteble source, compressed air being preterably used. The pressure supply pipe 16 connects with the heed 17 which is removably secured in the casting, end isv provided with e passugo-18 extending vertically therethrough, by which the fluid pressure is transmitted t the liquid chamber. At the lbese of the heed, there is provided a distributer and separator 19 embodying a funnel shaped receiver' 20, und a conical deector 21 surrounded by e plurality of openings 22. The

conical dellector 21 is disposed in vertical alinement with the receiver QOso 4that the pressure fluid is distributed around the de-l venting the liquid from bein-g dretvn up into the passage 18 when the exhaust valve is open. I The heed 17 i's provided vifithma threeway vulve 23 to Awhich is connected e. bundle 24 by which the vulve may be menuellyops erated to admit the uidpremure and ,eX-

t is taclring lOO rio

haust the pressure .from the liquidchamber, as will be described presently. The head 17 -is provided at its top with a mufer or exhaust lchamber comprising a plujra1ity of concentrically arranged annular wallsf provided with openings 26 a1'- ranged alternately at the top andbottom `thereof respectively. The mule'r or exhaust chamber is connected withthe atmosphere, mgandis closed at thetop by a cover 27. 28 's an exhaust valve. arranged on av seat in the head 17, and contr lled by the spring The stemof the valve and the spring are housed in a tube 30, thel spring being '15- held in place by a follower 31 which has threaded engagement with the adjusting screwf32.. A squared head 33 is provided at the upper endof thescrew 32, to permit of its adjustment, in order to vary the tension 2"()A of the spring 29, which ordinarily is such as to permit the valve to' open under the 'Weight of the chair seatand the occupant, and to hold the valve closed when the chair .is unoccupied. When the valve is in the .25 position shown in Fig. 1, pressure is being admitted to the liquid chamber, to lift `the piston 7, and when the valve is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3, the supply pipe is 1 cut off, and communication is established with the atmosphere from the liquid chamber, through exhaust valve 28 and the eX- haust chamber. i It vis desirable' to providemeans for automatically shutting oiii' the fiow of the pressure iuid when the chair seat has reached a certain predetermined elevation, and-to this end, We provide means for automatically op-` erating the valve 23. For this purpose, a` connecting. rod 42 ispivoted to the valve 23, and is in turn connected to an arm 44 which is pivotally mounted at 45 upon the cylinder head 46.4 v

47 is a pin slidably arranged in the cylinder head 46 and in' engagement with the 45 arm 44. i

The movement of the pin 47 would not be l "suiicient' to impart an entire quarter turn to the valve, and in order to efect'this additional movement, there is provided 'a spring ,50 actuate'dplunger 49, movable in bearings mounted on the cylinder head, .and controlled by the spring 50. .The plunger 49 l carries a roller 51 which is arranged to engage a cam surface 52 on the armv44. 55v Adjacent to the cam surface 52, is a sub* i stantially perpendicular surface 53, which `is normefly engaged by the roller 51, the plunger beinf'etorced ,ltoward said surface by the spring 250,"and when the piston 7 reaches the top of the cylinder, the pin 47 fraises the arm 44 far enough to bring the cam surface 52 int engagement with the roller 51, whereupon the sprin actuated v, plunger acts to move the connecting rod 42 upwardly far enough to turn the valveth'e required distance. By this means, when the piston 7 reaches the upper end of the cylinl der, it effects closing of the valve 23 against further admission of pressure iuid, and eX- hausts the pressure in the liquid chamber. While the chair seat is elevated,lthe fluid is held in the cylinder by thevalve 9, and when it is desired to lower the seat, the lever 48 is operated to depress the valve stem 12 and the Vvalve 9, permitting the. liquid to iow back into the liquid chamber and the piston `7 to fall under the influence of the weight of the parts. As the piston descends, the air in the liquid chamber which is displaced by liquidy flowing from the cylinder is forced out through the exhaust valve 28, but as the piston approaches the bottom of the cylinder, the seat support 5 contacts with the upper end of the rod 54 forcing it downwardly, and raising the lever '48, to releasevthe valve 9. This stops the out-How of liquid from the cylinder, and j produces a cushion for the piston, to take up the'jar 4which would otherwise be produced when it reaches the bottom of the cylinder. The arrangement of the annular walls in the muiiler serve to gradually reduce the pressure of the Huid so as to prevent hissing or :other annpying sounds as the air under pressure rushes from the liquid chamber to the atmosphere. l j

While the present application includes a particular embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that we are not limited to the precise construction and arrangement described, for the intention is to cover any changes or modifications that may come within the scope of the invention and the terms of the claims hereinafter.

We claim as our invention:

1. Inan adjustable chair, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston movable within the cylinder, a liquid chamber in communication with the cylinder, a fluid pressure supply pipe communicating with the 110 liquid chamber, a spring actuatedfvalve conl trolling the passage of liquid to the cylinder, means for opening said valve, and means controlled by the downward movement of the piston for releasing said valve 115 to permit it to close.

2. In an adjustable chair, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston movable with-l in the cylinder, a fluid pressure supply pipe in communication'with the cylinder, an ex- 120 haust -for the fluid pressure, a spring actuate valve controllingA the passage ,of liquid to thecylinder, means for opening said valve, and means controlled by the downward movement of the'piston for releasing 125 said valve to permit it to close.

3. In an adjustable chair, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston movable inthe cylinder, a liquid chamber communicating with thecylinder, an exhaust outlet in-comy with me'zgoeo e ow .of liquid from the cylinder. l

u au adjustable chair, the combination with e cylindei-,of e ietonI movable within the cylinder, :i .lfqui ohamber in commuuicution `withfthe cylinder, at fluid pressure eupply pipe communicating with the liquid e amber, e ,telve controlling the supply of luid pressure, 'and spring controlled means operatie to ,close said Valve, the spring controlled means being normally out of erative relation with the vel meizicelly cemiectedj tht-irewth of the upwerdmovement of the lu en adjustable chair, the a cylinder, of e the cylindei-,fa liquid cation. with th ve and autoat the limit piston.

combination' piston movable Within chamber in commui1ie cylinder, a tluiol pressure 'chembeig a vel and devices supply pipe communicating with the li Ve controlling the supp automatic means for from open to closed position, for permittin the automatic means to operate at he limit movement of the piston. Y 4

In an. adjustable chair, lthe eombinetion fluid pressure, lng the valve c timber, a valve controlling the passage of liquid to the cylinder, means for opening l R. L. FITCH,

J. U.. SULLIVAN.

of the upward 

